Xiaomi launches Mi Pad to rival Apple, to cost just Rs. 12,999

Chinese tech giant Xiaomi delivered a one-two punch at an event in New Delhi today. Not only did it announce the Redmi 2, a follow up to the Redmi 1S smartphone it released last year, it also announced the Mi Pad, an iPad Mini rival priced aggressively at just ₹ 12,999.

Chinese tech giant Xiaomi delivered a one-two punch at an event in New Delhi today. Not only did it announce the Redmi 2, a follow up to the Redmi 1S smartphone it released last year, it also announced the Mi Pad, an iPad Mini rival priced aggressively at just ₹ 12,999.

First the phone: The Redmi 2 is a 4.7-inch smartphone aimed at budget buyers. It runs on a fairly low-end Snapdragon 410 processor and has 1 GB RAM. The built-in storage is 8 GB but can be expanded to 32 GB via a microSD card. It supports dual SIM cards with 4G support on both. There's also an 8 megapixel camera on the back and a 2 megapixel front camera for selfies.

The Redmi 2 differentiates from its competition like the recently released second-generation Moto E in several ways: it allows flash drives to be plugged in directly to copy files to the phone (and vice versa); calls can be recorded with a single tap; and there's a built-in Cleaner app to get rid of unwanted files, app caches and duplicate photographs.

Registrations for the Redmi 2 will start on Flipkart at 6 PM today. Xiaomi India head, Manu Jain, said that 30 to 40 thousand units will be available in the first flash sale.

Xiaomi also announced that the Mi Pad, a 7.9-inch tablet that runs on a Tegra K1 processor will be launched in India on Flipkart on March 24. Customers can buy the tablet without registering before.

The Mi Pad's aggressive pricing of ₹ 12,999 is a bold move. Tablets in this class usually cost upwards of ₹ 20,000

Xiaomi, which only began operating in India in July 2014, has a 4 percent smartphone market share in the country according to industry analysis firm IDC.